Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, made a one-day trip to Dublin, Ireland, on Wednesday, 6 August 2025, combining royal diplomacy with her lifelong passion for horses.
An t-Uachtaráin (the President of Ireland), Michael D. Higgins and his wife, Sabina, warmly welcomed the 74-year-old royal to Áras an Uachtaráin (the Irish President’s residence).
In 2014, President Higgins made history as the first President of Ireland to make an official State Visit to the United Kingdom. It was reciprocating Queen Elizabeth II’s historic visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011.
Furthermore, in 2023, President Higgins became the first Irish President to attend a British monarch’s coronation since Ireland’s independence, joining the coronation of King Charles III.
The meeting celebrated the strong ties between the UK and Ireland. Following her visit, President Higgins praised the hardest-working royal’s decades of work in fostering relations between the two nations.
“It was a pleasure to renew my conversations with Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, and to recognise the significant contribution which she has made over so many years to the relationship between our two countries. I was also pleased to recognise the contribution which The Princess Royal has made to equestrian sports over the years as well as to related learning and therapy services. I further took the opportunity to extend my best wishes to His Majesty King Charles and to recall his unwavering support for peace and reconciliation.”
Afterwards, the Princess Royal headed to the Royal Dublin Society. She attended the official opening of the 150th Dublin Horse Show at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS).
Princess Anne toured a special exhibition before awarding rosettes in the Small Hunters category. She also met with representatives from Festina Lento, a charity offering riding lessons and equine therapy.
An accomplished equestrian herself, Princess Anne was the first member of the British royal family to compete in the Olympics. She represented Team GB at the 1976 Montreal Games. Her mother, Queen Elizabeth II, also shared her love of horses.
In 2024, the Princess was briefly hospitalised with a concussion after an incident at her Gatcombe Park estate. The incident is believed to have involved a horse.
While the recovery took longer than initially expected, Anne has since resumed her busy schedule of public engagements.
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